Pineland Croton

Croton linearis

Found in pine rocklands, marl prairies, coastal strands, disturbed uplands. Weakley, Flora of the Southeastern United States (2025), Florida edition What its natural habitat tells you

Strong

Native to Florida. How scores work Is it native here?

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At a glance

Not yet recorded · Height · Spread · Light · Soil · Life cycle · Leaves · Bloom

This plant is missing most of its facts, so Quercus is looking them up in old botany books.

Recorded in 21 Florida counties.

Natural habitats

Places it grows wild. Not a planting requirement. Each habitat page lists the plants and wildlife also found there.

Limestone prairie. Shown: Grand Prairie, Coosa Valley Prairies, Floyd County, Georgia, a neighboring state.Grand Prairie, Coosa Valley Prairies, Floyd County, Alan M. Cressler / U.S. Geological Survey, undated. Public domain. Source record.

All habitats

Also found with this plant

Wildlife whose habitat models include habitats this plant grows in, in Florida. Shared habitat, not food. 145 animals.

Northern Flicker
Colaptes auratus
Birds. 2 shared habitats
Pileated Woodpecker
Dryocopus pileatus
Birds. 2 shared habitats
Prairie Warbler
Dendroica discolor
Birds. 2 shared habitats
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Melanerpes carolinus
Birds. 2 shared habitats
Ruby-crowned Kinglet
Regulus calendula
Birds. 2 shared habitats
Ruby-throated Hummingbird
Archilochus colubris
Birds. 2 shared habitats
Short-tailed Hawk
Buteo brachyurus
Birds. 2 shared habitats
Snail Kite
Rostrhamus sociabilis
Birds. 2 shared habitats
Summer Tanager
Piranga rubra
Birds. 2 shared habitats
Swallow-tailed Kite
Elanoides forficatus
Birds. 2 shared habitats
Tufted Titmouse
Baeolophus bicolor
Birds. 2 shared habitats
Western Kingbird
Tyrannus verticalis
Birds. 2 shared habitats
White-winged Dove
Zenaida asiatica
Birds. 2 shared habitats
Wild Turkey
Meleagris gallopavo
Birds. 2 shared habitats
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker
Sphyrapicus varius
Birds. 2 shared habitats
Yellow-crowned Night-heron
Nyctanassa violacea
Birds. 2 shared habitats
Yellow-rumped Warbler
Dendroica coronata
Birds. 2 shared habitats
Acadian Flycatcher
Empidonax virescens
Birds. 1 shared habitat
American Bittern
Botaurus lentiginosus
Birds. 1 shared habitat
American Coot
Fulica americana
Birds. 1 shared habitat
American Redstart
Setophaga ruticilla
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Bachman's Sparrow
Aimophila aestivalis
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Bald Eagle
Haliaeetus leucocephalus
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Baltimore Oriole
Icterus galbula
Birds. 1 shared habitat

All wildlife of Florida

Ecological relationships

Who uses this plant?

What these records mean

13CaterpillarsGenus host records with ranges including FL

Genus host records with ranges including FL · Croton

Amyna strictaEight-Spot Moth
Anaea andriaGoatweed Leafwing , Goatweed Leaf Wing
Anaea troglodytaFlorida Leafwing, Florida Leaf Wing
Calycopis cecropsRed-Banded Hairstreak, Cecrops Hairstreak
Chrysodeixis includensSoybean Looper Moth
Oxydia vesuliaSpurge Spanworm Moth
Seirarctia echoEcho Moth
Spodoptera eridaniaSouthern Armyworm Moth
Spodoptera frugiperdaFall Armyworm Moth
Strymon acisBartrams Scrub-Hairstreak

Show all 13

Strymon melinusGray Hairstreak
Xylophanes tersaTersa Sphinx
Anacampsis argyrothamniella

Shropshire & Tallamy 2025, Lepidoptera of North America north of Mexico, ZooKeys 1261 (ODbL)

13BeesSoutheastern regional records

Southeastern regional records · Croton

Individual names are not available yet.

Noori, Seltmann & Orr 2026, A curated and integrated dataset for exploring global bee-plant interactions (GloBI), Zenodo, CC BY 4.0

1Specialist beesPollen specialists

Pollen specialists · Croton

Perdita crotonis

Smith, Bachelder, Russell, Morales, Mosher & Seltmann 2024, Bee-Specialization-Modeling v0.6.1 (specialist host table compiled from J. Fowler's pollen specialist bee lists), Zenodo, CC BY 4.0

20BirdsRecorded genus food-resource interactions; not a state feeding claim

Recorded genus food-resource interactions; not a state feeding claim · Croton

Agelaius phoeniceusRed-winged Blackbird
Anthus rubescensAmerican Pipit
Anthus spragueiiSprague's Pipit
Callipepla californicaCalifornia Quail
Cardinalis sinuatusPyrrhuloxia
Colinus virginianusNorthern Bobwhite
Columbina passerinaCommon Ground Dove
Francolinus francolinusBlack Francolin
Haemorhous mexicanusHouse Finch
Hylocichla mustelinaWood Thrush

Show all 20

Melospiza melodiaSong Sparrow
Melozone crissalisCalifornia Towhee
Ortalis vetulaPlain Chachalaca
Pipilo maculatusSpotted Towhee
Spinus psaltriaLesser Goldfinch
Sturnus vulgarisEuropean Starling
Tympanuchus pallidicinctusLesser Prairie-Chicken
Zenaida asiaticaWhite-winged Dove
Zenaida macrouraMourning Dove
Zonotrichia atricapillaGolden-crowned Sparrow

Hurlbert, Olsen, Sawyer & Winner 2021, Avian Diet Database, Scientific Data 8: 260 (CC0)

Direct food only: birds recorded eating this genus across North America. Caterpillars on host plants also feed nesting birds. NC Native Plant Society: butterfly gardening

No records yet · Ants · Beetles · Flies · Adult butterflies / moths · Other wasps · Other insects

Growing and identification

Plant details

Family: Euphorbiaceae

Safety has not been reviewed for this plant; check toxicity and thorns before planting.

Conservation status

Florida rank	S3
Global rank	Not available
FL status	Not verified
Federal status	Not verified

Conservation source

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Pineland Croton

At a glance

Natural habitats

Also found with this plant

Who uses this plant?

Plant details

Conservation status

Will it fit your yard?

Sources

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